The invention relates to compositions comprising as the active ingredient one or more herbicides which are slowly released from said granular compositions.
Controlled release pesticidal compositions offer several possible advantages over conventional compositions. They are often preferred because fewer pesticide applications to the crop are necessary. Controlled release compositions offer safety to the environment by reducing pesticide overuse and run-off or soil (translocation) leaching into unwanted neighboring areas such as water ways and wells. They can also offer safety to the crop in instances when large doses of conventional formulations are phytotoxic and provide safety to workers applying pesticides in the field by reducing the toxicity of the pesticide. Finally, controlled release compositions allow the effective use of pesticides which are too rapidly degraded, volatilized or leached away by rain in conventional formulations (i.e., conventional pesticides with very low residual activity).
JP Hei 2[1990]-288,803 discloses a release-controlled granule containing a sulfonylurea, a barnyardgrass herbicide, a clay mineral, a paraffin wax and a surfactant.